Music Stores in Detroit/Surrounding Area

I'm quite pleased with SchoolKids in Exile on State St. I recently bought two Ryan Adams vinyl LPs, the new Neil Young Living with War (on Friday the 5th, before it's official release date, if it ever actually had one) and quite a bit of avant-garde jazz CDs there over the years. Always my first stop when buying new music.

 

I second the earlier suggeston for Encore Records and PJ's in Ann Arbor. Plus check out Wazoo records/cds in Ann Arbor. All three stores are in close proximity. Also in Ann Arbor is Overture Audio- a great hi-fi shop! Last of all, check out the next Monstor Record and CD show in Ann Arbor. It will be October 15th at Webers Inn.

 

I don't think there is anything there anymore. This was like 5 years ago. It was in a log cabin type house that is now a coffee shop I think. If you want to buy CDs in Gaylord today I think you are stuck with Walmart which is essentially like having nothing.

 

Where is Overture Audio? I am starting to look for a turntable, maybe I will try there first.

 

Good Used CDs Near Detroit

There are a couple of shops in Oakland County (just north of Detroit) that deal mainly with used CDs, but also have some vinyl and other gear like shirts and posters.

Flipside Records is in Clawson, just north of Royal Oak at the corner of 14 Mile Road and Main Street (Livernois). I haven't been there for a couple years now, but they always had good specials like 3 for $10 and they would break down the bins with new, recently or more popular used, and a "can we get rid of these yet" where the CDs were just a buck or two. I would always find some good obscure stuff in that bin.

My favorite west side store is Switched on CDs. The guys working there are passionate about music (ever see John Cusack in High Fidelity?) and they are great to help you out with "if you like that, then you have to listen to this." They've always been right, with my tastes anyway. The store is on Grand River Avenue, just west of Haggerty on the border of Farmington Hills and Novi. It's in a little strip mall next to a Burger King. They also tend to have tons of free tickets to DTE (Pine Knob) in the summer, just sitting on the counter by the door.

I miss the old vinyl days of Sam's Jams in Ferndale, but these two places almost make up for it.

 

I have forgotten the name of it but there was a post down in southfield, like 13 and something, that was quite good.

Harmony House was pretty good up until the mid 90s, I guess I am sad to hear it done, but not surprised the last one I was in was crap.

Was repeat the beat the one in downtown Royal Oak? They always had great sales on Zappa.

Haven't lived in Michigan for 10 years so the memory fades.

Kalamazoo had FlipSide Which was stellar I used to spend hours scouring that place. The fella that ran the BOP STOP made a point of selling me things at a good price, and didn't give out to me for "finger ****ing" his albums. Boogies found some deadly Beatles boots on Vinyl, Believe in Music was also a regular stop in the last days of vinyl.

Perhaps we can build a record store museum some day, and I can take my infant son there.

Cassius

 

Flipside closed a couple of years ago - one of my favorite record stores ever! I'd go there a couple times a week to see what new vinyl and used CD's had come in. It was one of those stores where you felt welcome even if you didn't end up buying anything on a particular day. Theres just Bop Stop left for vinyl in Kalamazoo - I have to admit I haven't been there in quite a while. The old Boogie Records was a great store - that closed many, many years ago also. Believe In Music has also closed - it was a small chain store but occasionally you could find some unique items there.

 

Overture is at 618 S. Main St., downtown.

Has Wazoo improved? I was there many years ago when they were phasing out vinyl, throwing it in plastic milk crates under the CD bins. I heard in a thread here last year that said Wazoo was back into vinyl. I recall it was on the second floor of a building on State St. Might be worth a stop in there again.

 

I was in Wazoo yesterday. They have a LOT of vinyl, both in the crates under the CDs and in a small section over by the windows at normal browsing level. I didn't see any new vinyl, however. I DID see the Keith Jarrett Sun Bear box set on vinyl though!

 

Wazoo

At Wazoo they have several crates of new lp's by groups such as the Mountain Goats, Elliott Smith, Kimya Dawson, Bright Eyes, etc. They are on the table over by the window. PJ's also has some new lp's. There is a large selection at Discount Records- a couple of blocks down from Encore- opposite direction of the Michigan Theater.

 

Kaput

Gone for a couple of years.

 

Underground Sounds

OOPS- I'm thinking of Underground Sounds at 255 E. Liberty (not Discount Records). Lot's of newer vinyl- some older stuff too. Anyway, isn't it great to have all the different record shops in Ann Arbor?

 

I just picked up the latest Metro Times (Detroit's Village Voice) and there is a nice article on the death of all the indie Record/CD shops. Pretty good listing of whats out there in the Detroit Area still worth checking out. Although I don't agree with the premise of the article that it's "only a matter of time". The stores left have consolidiated somewhat to fill a niche market which will be around for a while.

 

Thanks for the tip on Underground Sounds!! I finally made it in there today, and they had two Neil Young vinyl LPs, both of which I bought: Are You Passionate, and Broken Arrow, which I have been looking for since it was originally released 10 years ago!!! The guy at the counter said that it has probably been there in the rack since it was released. I have looked everywhere for that one, on-line, used stores, ebay, etc. Nice to finally have it, and it's sealed too!

 

Lenny's Record Shack- Tecumseh

One more vinyl shop to report- Lenny's Record Shack. It's immediately to the west of Tecumseh , MI on Hwy. 50. Jim (the owner) also sells cigars. The shop has classic rock, some jazz, country, cds, posters, etc.

There's quite a few antique stores in the area, along with Hidden Lake Gardens.

 

Thread revival, came across this in a search for something else.

Haven't been back to the Metro Detroit area in over 15 years, but growing up in the burbs of Rochester I remember a place we used to go to a lot called Solo Records. It was a tiny little green store on Woodward avenue, in Royal Oak I believe. Bought a ton of vinyl there in my youth. I wonder if that old place is still there.

Anyways, onto what I was really searching for.....

 

I did a Google search and it looks like it's still there, but maybe not for long. I found another listing that it's for sale!

Derek

 

I don't think it's there anymore. There is a good vinyl store down at woodward and 9 mile in Ferndale (I forget the name) along with a Record Time but that Record time does not have much vinyl. If you really want lots of vinyl go Flipside in Clawson or Car City in St. Claire Shores.

 

Solo Records is still there.

 

SOLO is now on Woodward, just north of 12 and a half mile. They moved from that little green building a few years ago. Another vendor moved into SOLO's old location, selling music and collectables, but has since moved out.

STREET CORNER MUSIC at 13 & Southfield has some good vinyl.

FLIPSIDE is a complete waste of time now......basically a shell.

 

I just went to a place called Melodies and Memories at 9 1/2 and Gratiot, just got the Pet Sounds double vinyl. Also in Utica on M59, there is a place called Rock-A-Billy's, starting to get more vinyl.

 

Just want to second Street Corner...good shop.

 

If you ever get up to Flint, there is a store called Jellybeans. They have 2 locations (Fenton Rd, and Dort Hwy.). Both locations have TONS of used vinyl, with the Dort Hwy store having lots of 45's. Also they have great selections of used CD's, Cassettes, and DVD's. They also sell used Video games. The other side of the stores are used books.
Then, there is Pete Flanders' Musical Memories, but I'm not real sure if he's still open.

 

Re: Further out

Is there any place in the Port Huron area worth checking out? I often travel to Sarnia, Ontario, and was wondering if a trip across the bridge was worth it to shop for music.

 

Melodies and Memories is great for vinyl and cd. They have more than 50,000 seperate titles of each. Also, Peoples Records on 2nd Ave in Detroit is vinyl-only and pretty incredible, particularly for old Soul and R&B. The Record Graveyard in Hamtramck is another really good all-vinyl store.